French Fried: A Year in Provence with Miss Marple and Gerald Durrell

ChrisDolley · 07-06-2010, 07:42 AM

BVC have just released my memoir, French Fried

Animals behaving badly, other people's misfortunes and the most bizarre true crime story ever. French Fried is the unfortunately true account of Chris Dolley’s first eight months in France and has been described as ‘A Year in Provence with Miss Marple and Gerald Durrell.’

Just when Chris and Shelagh think nothing more could possibly go wrong, they discover that Chris’s identity has been stolen and their life savings – all the money from their house sale in England that was going to finance their new life in France – had disappeared. A bank account had been opened in Chris’s name in Spain to take the proceeds.

Then they’re abandoned by the police forces of four countries who all insist the crime belongs in someone else's jurisdiction. The French say it’s an Irish crime as that’s where the money was held. The Irish say it’s French as that’s where all the correspondence came from. The British say it’s nothing to do with them even though forged British passports were used to open the bank account in Spain. And the Spanish are on holiday – and can’t even think about investigating any bank account for at least four weeks.

So Chris has to solve the crime himself. But unlike fictional detectives he has an 80 year-old mother-in-law and an excitable puppy who insist they come along if he's going anywhere interesting - like a stakeout.

Available (DRM-free) in the following formats: PDF, ePub, Kindle, lit, lrf, prc for $3.99 from:

Book View Café

Amazon

Smashwords

Lemurion · 07-06-2010, 12:43 PM

Damnit Chris! I may have to actually pay for something at Smashwords!

dadioflex · 07-06-2010, 06:38 PM

Edit.

Worldwalker · 07-06-2010, 10:34 PM

I just bought it ... and managed to escape BVC with only the book I came for.

That sounds like my life, squared (so far, international identity thieves haven't gotten involved, and I have more reptiles and fewer mammals, plus some fish who don't like going in the water). I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Lemurion · 07-07-2010, 12:21 PM

Bought. Read. Liked.

ChrisDolley · 07-07-2010, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lemurion

Bought. Read. Liked.

That was quick!

Lemurion · 07-07-2010, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisDolley

That was quick!

Not really - I bought it at about 11:20 last night - finished by 11:20 this morning.

steph_g · 07-08-2010, 03:19 AM

Okay, this is lame - I downloaded the sample from Amazon. It consisted of the cover and copyright page. That's it. Not even a little bit of the first chapter. I'm sure it's not the authors fault, but really?! I'll try smashwords...

ChrisDolley · 07-08-2010, 05:16 AM

There are three excerpts up at Book View Café:

The beginning

How not to speak French

and Animals behaving Badly

Worldwalker · 07-08-2010, 09:35 PM

I got it from BookView Cafe; I'm pretty sure they had a good preview, but it sounded so cool I just bought it without one.

And this is what the $15-and-up ebook sellers aren't getting: at $3.99, an ebook is an impulse purchase. "Hey, that sounds good, I'll buy it, and if I don't like it, well, I paid more than that yesterday for a bookmark with lizards on it."

ChrisDolley · 07-14-2010, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

And this is what the $15-and-up ebook sellers aren't getting: at $3.99, an ebook is an impulse purchase. "Hey, that sounds good, I'll buy it, and if I don't like it, well, I paid more than that yesterday for a bookmark with lizards on it."

Definitely. And while some of the larger publishers have got this message - from what I've heard - they're having trouble convincing the boards of their parent companies to reduce ebook prices. They still seem to regard ebooks as a danger to hardback sales.

Surfergirl · 07-14-2010, 11:45 AM

Well, you got me! I just read the excerpts, and since my colleagues were looking at me strangely as I sat and sniggered, I thought I'd better buy the book.

Looking forward to reading it.

07-06-2010, 07:42 AM	#1
ChrisDolley Author Posts: 26 Karma: 40000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Normandy Device: none	French Fried: A Year in Provence with Miss Marple and Gerald Durrell BVC have just released my memoir, French Fried Animals behaving badly, other people's misfortunes and the most bizarre true crime story ever. French Fried is the unfortunately true account of Chris Dolley’s first eight months in France and has been described as ‘A Year in Provence with Miss Marple and Gerald Durrell.’ Just when Chris and Shelagh think nothing more could possibly go wrong, they discover that Chris’s identity has been stolen and their life savings – all the money from their house sale in England that was going to finance their new life in France – had disappeared. A bank account had been opened in Chris’s name in Spain to take the proceeds. Then they’re abandoned by the police forces of four countries who all insist the crime belongs in someone else's jurisdiction. The French say it’s an Irish crime as that’s where the money was held. The Irish say it’s French as that’s where all the correspondence came from. The British say it’s nothing to do with them even though forged British passports were used to open the bank account in Spain. And the Spanish are on holiday – and can’t even think about investigating any bank account for at least four weeks. So Chris has to solve the crime himself. But unlike fictional detectives he has an 80 year-old mother-in-law and an excitable puppy who insist they come along if he's going anywhere interesting - like a stakeout. Available (DRM-free) in the following formats: PDF, ePub, Kindle, lit, lrf, prc for $3.99 from: Book View Café Amazon Smashwords

07-06-2010, 06:38 PM	#3
dadioflex Dyslexic Count Posts: 526 Karma: 5041991 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Palm TX, Advent Vega, iPad, iPod Touch, Kindle	Edit. Last edited by dadioflex; 12-15-2010 at 06:18 PM.

07-06-2010, 10:34 PM	#4
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	I just bought it ... and managed to escape BVC with only the book I came for. That sounds like my life, squared (so far, international identity thieves haven't gotten involved, and I have more reptiles and fewer mammals, plus some fish who don't like going in the water). I'm really looking forward to reading it. Last edited by Worldwalker; 07-07-2010 at 01:14 PM. Reason: typo fix

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07-06-2010, 12:43 PM	#2
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	Damnit Chris! I may have to actually pay for something at Smashwords!

07-07-2010, 12:21 PM	#5
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	Bought. Read. Liked.

07-08-2010, 03:19 AM	#8
steph_g Book Lover Posts: 74 Karma: 124 Join Date: May 2010 Device: iPad, iPhone 3GS	Okay, this is lame - I downloaded the sample from Amazon. It consisted of the cover and copyright page. That's it. Not even a little bit of the first chapter. I'm sure it's not the authors fault, but really?! I'll try smashwords...

07-08-2010, 05:16 AM	#9
ChrisDolley Author Posts: 26 Karma: 40000 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Normandy Device: none	There are three excerpts up at Book View Café: The beginning How not to speak French and Animals behaving Badly

07-08-2010, 09:35 PM	#10
Worldwalker Curmudgeon Posts: 3,085 Karma: 722357 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: PRS-505	I got it from BookView Cafe; I'm pretty sure they had a good preview, but it sounded so cool I just bought it without one. And this is what the $15-and-up ebook sellers aren't getting: at $3.99, an ebook is an impulse purchase. "Hey, that sounds good, I'll buy it, and if I don't like it, well, I paid more than that yesterday for a bookmark with lizards on it."

07-14-2010, 11:45 AM	#12
Surfergirl Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 299 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: PRS-505 (Blue)/PRS-505 (Red)/iPhone 3GS	Well, you got me! I just read the excerpts, and since my colleagues were looking at me strangely as I sat and sniggered, I thought I'd better buy the book. Looking forward to reading it.